


(Loosely Inspired By) The Parent Trap

by Elayna



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-09
Updated: 2013-06-09
Packaged: 2017-12-14 11:07:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/836215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elayna/pseuds/Elayna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two men take on a responsibility they had never anticipated and don't handle it well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Loosely Inspired By) The Parent Trap

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: I've seen both versions of The Parent Trap once, and neither of them recently. So this is very much my running with the general idea, rather than being faithful to either movie. And I've always thought splitting up twins was a horrible thing to do, so I ended up addressing/justifying that decision more than I remember the movies bothering. 
> 
> Thank you to Bellewhan for the excellent betaing!

They hated each other on sight. Rodney McKay looked at John Sheppard, with his wild hair that defied regulations, his teasing green eyes, the smirk on his lips, the flight suit hugging his lean frame, and knew this was a flyboy who would take stupidly insane risks with his beloved planes merely for the sake of an adrenaline rush. 

John Sheppard looked at Rodney McKay, his feathered dark blond hair, focused blue eyes, the frown on his downturned lips, his thin frame that he hadn't grown into his shoulders, and knew from the white lab jacket that this was one of those irritating scientists who would fret too much about the damned plane and not enough about the pilot. 

They both turned out to be wrong – John was a risk-taker, but not to the point of stupidity, and Rodney did care about people as much as planes, even if he didn't know how to express it. But those realizations came much more slowly than the hot sex, which was intense, frantic, and carefully kept hidden, for fear of John being discharged from the Air Force and Rodney being fired for inappropriate relations with a co-worker. 

Five months after their first meeting, approximately four months and three weeks after their affair started, they stumbled out of a supply closet, glancing around furtively, even as Rodney was still zipping up his pants. A "Boo!" had them both jumping and turning to face the noise. Mary Jane peered around the corner, before waddling toward them. 

"Mary Jane," Rodney hissed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" 

"You two need to take fewer risks," she retorted. 

John grinned goofily. Orgasms always made him happy. "Some things are worth it." 

Rodney grinned back at him. "Besides, it's Friday night. Everyone's gone. You're supposed to be gone," he added to MJ, not rudely, but with a certain amount of concern, since she was starting her maternity leave that day. 

"Just packing up the last of my things. I thought I'd say goodbye to my favorite boys." 

John reached out, tugging a strand of her red hair. "You need help carrying anything out to your car?" 

She nodded wearily, her hands going to the small of her back. "Would you mind? It's only two boxes." 

"Sure." 

"I'll do it," Rodney insisted to John. "You should go to the bar."

"It won't take long," John said stubbornly, even though he knew he should head out to join the rest of the pilots at the local bar. They'd be holding a stool for him, wondering why he was so late. Rodney had the advantage that the scientists didn't socialize well even at work, and avoided each other like the plague afterwards. No one would wonder about how he spent his time. 

"You two." MJ rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can argue as we walk." Suiting word to deed, she turned around and headed for her office, walking a few steps before emitting a sudden cry and buckling forward, grabbing at the wall. John and Rodney rushed forward, each taking hold of an elbow, helping her to stay on her feet.

"MJ? Are you okay?" 

"I think I waited too long," she said, standing straight, using their strength to help her. "I'm afraid I'm going into labor." 

"Security. Ambulance. We need an ambulance." Rodney rushed into the closest office. Picking up the first phone he saw, he dialed the internal number for security. He always memorized that number on his first day at any job, right before finding out who handled first aid and making sure they knew how to use an epi-pen. People had called him paranoid, but as long as he remained alive to hear them, their mockery didn't bother him. 

"You should go," she said. "Help me get to a chair and then you should go." 

John could see the pain on her face, sweat breaking out along her hairline. "I'm not leaving you." He could never desert someone in trouble, much less a friend, merely out of concern about gossip. He put an arm around her waist, holding onto her, helping her walk into the office and sit down, and dropped to his knees by her.

She cried again as she sat, another spasm of pain rippling through her body. "I didn't expect it to hurt so much. I wish I had someone. My husband – " 

"You've got us," John said firmly. He didn't know the full details, because she'd never seem inclined to talk about it, and John wasn't one to pry into anyone's history. All he knew was that her husband was dead, and her only relatives were distant cousins in another state. 

"You two have your own lives. I have to be strong. For the baby." 

Rodney hung up the phone and came over, hovering by them. "They're on their way." 

"You're going to be a great mother." John took her hand, squeezing it, reassuring her. He held on until the emergency techs arrived with a stretcher, and then stayed by her side to the ambulance. Rodney trailed after them, though John tried to send him home, which just made Rodney try to chase him off to the bar. They both ended up with MJ in the maternity ward, taking turns helping her breathe, though neither of them knew the proper rhythm. 

Rodney was better in a crisis than John might have expected. He tended to panic and fret, but he knew a lot about hospitals. He knew when to badger the nurses and when to stay out of their way, and what the terminology really meant. 

"It's not going well," Rodney said quietly, as they waited in the hallway during one of the exams. It was past midnight, and they'd long ago stopped worrying about their alibis or explaining why they were together, totally focused on Mary Jane and her struggles. 

"It's only been five or six hours. That's normal, right?" 

"Yes, labor can take a long time, but this is – look, I just know, okay? I was in hospitals too many times as a child. I have allergies and hypoglycemia. There's a way doctors and nurses talk when they're trying to be reassuring in a bad situation and that's how these doctors and nurses are talking." 

"There's nothing we can do but be here, is there?" 

Rodney shook his head no, and risked leaning against John for a moment of support and connection. John let his head drop to rest against Rodney's, before they both straightened and automatically checked the hallway, making sure no one had seen them. Returning to the room, they found Mary Jane distraught, reaching out to grab their hands. "You have to promise me that you'll find someone to take care of these babies." 

"Babies?" 

"They're saying twins. I'm having twins. You have to promise me." 

"Everything's going to be fine," John soothed.

"No, no it's not. You have to promise me. I have to know someone will take care of my babies. I couldn't stand to think of them being orphaned with no one to love them." 

"I'll take care of them," John said, thinking of his own parents, and how they'd rarely demonstrated any caring or affection for him. His mother had been too absorbed with her social engagements and his dad with the business. John had always felt like a necessary accoutrement rather than a beloved son. "I promise you." 

"You can't do it alone. There's going to be two of them." 

"I'll help him," Rodney pledged. "We'll both take care of them. You can count on us." 

Mary Jane gave a weak gurgle of laughter. "I got lucky the first time I caught you two sneaking out of a supply closet." They all smiled for a moment, looking at each other, remembering John and Rodney's embarrassment, which had turned to bemusement as they got talking and learned she was a red-haired Mary Jane who had never read or watched any incarnation of Spiderman. 

It was twelve hours later before they stood in shock, accepting that her and Rodney's fears had been right, watching as Mary Jane died, and the doctors struggled to save her twins. 

John placed a hand on the small of Rodney's back, watching as the nurses efficiently cleaned, weighed, and measured the children, before placing them in cribs. They were small, but thankfully healthy. "They're beautiful." 

They weren't really, Rodney thought, with their squished faces, unfocused eyes, and shocks of damp red hair, patches of white stuff still covering their skin. But in a weird way, they were, so fragile and innocent, born of love and determination. Rodney wondered if his own parents had ever cared as much for him. If they were dying, would either of them have begged total strangers to make sure he was taken care of? Or would they have been bitterly railing about their own fates? He knew he'd ruined his mother's figure and given his father an ulcer and gray hair. He'd been told these facts often enough as a child. "We promised to take care of them. Us. I don't know anything about children. Do you? Jeannie's younger than me, so I babysat a few times, but only when she was older." 

"We'll figure it out," John said. "That's what parents do." 

~~~~

Twelve years later, Merry McKay met Janie Sheppard at Camp Happy Trails. Merry's red hair was braided into a French knot, her green eyes stared out from gold-rimmed glasses, and her white shirt, blue shorts, and white sandals were immaculately clean. Janie's long red hair needed combing, and was streaked with blue highlights, her blue contacts made her eyes blue-green, Johnny Cash stared out from her black t-shirt, her blue denim shorts were frayed, and she'd already kicked off her sandals. 

Merry thought Janie looked slovenly and undisciplined, like one of those rowdy girls who never paid attention in class. 

Janie thought Merry looked like a stuck-up priss who was probably the teacher's pet, and sat in the first row in class and raised her hand constantly. 

They hated each other on sight.

~~~~

John wasn't unduly worried about his daughter being separated from him for the first time in her life. Janie was confident and outgoing, making friends easily. Of course, she did have a temper that matched her hair, and a tendency to be fierce. He'd learned that the first time she'd decked an older boy on the playground because he was teasing one of her friends. 

But she had a cell phone and they had a good relationship, so he was sure that she'd call him if trouble arose. 

He sipped his brandy, staring moodily out the view over the valley, realizing that he was wishing she was here, to enjoy the sunset with him, and tell him about her day. He hadn't expected to be missing her so soon. In fact, he'd thought he'd date a lot this month, maybe indulge in some fast and fun sex, the kind he didn't allow himself very often. Not since he'd walked away from Rodney McKay with a baby on his back and returned to his role as second heir to Sheppard Industries. 

The familiar strains of "I Walk The Line" played from his phone, and John quickly clicked on it, smiling as he talked to Janie. Or more accurately, listened. Camp was cool and camp was fun. The woods were pretty, there were lots of activities, and the other girls were cool and fun. Well, except for the smarty pants East Coast girl in her lodge, who was neither cool nor fun.

"I bet you two become best friends before camp is over," John teased.

"Never. Oh, singing is starting. I gotta go. Love you, Dad." 

"Bye, honey," he said, but she was already gone. 

John sighed, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He could go into town, hit one of the gay bars, have a few drinks, some appetizers, flirt a bit, see what happened. 

He picked up the remote and clicked on the television. With 500 channels, a game had to be playing somewhere.

~~~

Rodney was worried about being separated from his daughter for the first time in her life. Merry was brilliant and adorable. He was incredibly proud of her, but well aware that her intelligence and quiet self-confidence could intimidate other kids. She was too like him to be a social butterfly, but if she was lucky, she would make friends with a few other bright kids, and have a good camp experience. 

He wished his sister hadn't harped so much on Merry needing more experience with normal childhood activities. If camp turned out to be a fiasco, it would all be Jeannie's fault. At least Merry had a cell phone and the two of them had a good relationship, so he was sure that she'd call him if trouble arose. 

He drank his coffee, staring broodingly at the stacks of papers in front of him, wishing she was there, curled on the couch, reading a book while he did his grading. She liked both novels and non-fiction, and had been reading at the adult level for several years. He hadn't expected to be missing her so soon, but the room felt so… empty without her. They hadn't been separated for longer than a work day since he'd walked away from John Sheppard, pushing her in a stroller, and caught a train to Boston and a professorship at MIT. 

A soft violin began playing from his phone, and Rodney quickly clicked on it, relieved to hear Merry's voice. Camp seemed fine. There were lots of activities. Participation wasn't forced, but Merry was trying a bit of everything, as Aunt Jeannie had encouraged. All the nature was disconcerting, but the trails were well-marked, and the camp leader had reassured them that no dangerous animals were close. The other girls were okay. Well, except for the rowdy Californian, who obviously thought she was Queen Bee. 

"Maybe you two will become best friends before camp is over," Rodney forced himself to say, though he doubted Merry would ever become bosom buddies with a social prima donna. 

"I don't think so, Dad. Oh, the singing is starting. I hope they're reasonably in tune. I love you, Dad." 

"Good-bye, angel," he said, but she was already gone. She was musically inclined, playing both the piano and violin, so maybe she'd enjoy the campfire singing. 

Rodney sighed, tucked his phone into his pocket, and picked up one of his student's papers. He hated summer sessions, but it would be over by the time Merry returned, and the two of them could take a quick vacation, some place with interesting museums and excellent restaurants. At least she'd enjoy that part of the summer. 

~~~~

Janie played with her hair, separating it into strands, trying to braid it on her skull, as she surreptitiously watched Merry undo the elaborate braiding she always wore and brush her hair out slowly. The two of them were stuck together for the evening, both of them on detention, confined to their cabin and banned from the night's activities. Janie wanted to ignore the other girl, but she was always inclined to be social, even with her hated enemy. She hadn't paid much attention to the nightly ritual, though one of the other girls said she always brushed for 100 strokes, and Janie could see Merry automatically counting under her breath. And then Janie looked at her, really looked at her, with her red hair long and resting on her shoulders. "It can't be."

Merry counted 99, 100, and stopped brushing, staring at the girl who had got her sent to detention for the first time in her entire life. She never got in trouble with authority figures, except for a few times when she corrected their lack of knowledge. But it had hardly been her fault that she'd thrown a mud ball at Janie after the other girl had flipped a dead fish at her. She was only grateful that the camp leader had let them shower after the resulting mud fight before ordering them to their cabin. "What can't be?" Then she looked at Janie, with her hair pulled back, half-braided. "It can't be," she whispered, but they both stared, and stood, walking over to the mirror on the wall. 

"We're twins." 

"Identical twins." 

"I don't have a sister. My mom died in childbirth." 

"So did mine. She knew my dad when they both worked at McGregor Air Force base."

"And she went into labor on a Friday night. I came early." 

"The next day, Saturday. She passed away and dad promised to take care of me."

Then both girls were hugging and crying.

~~~~

"Your dad is smart," Janie said. "And he has pretty eyes." The girls were lying side-by-side on one bed, laptops in front of them. The MIT website was open on Janie's. "And here's my dad." She clicked open the Sheppard Industries website, pulling up the executive biographies. 

"Your dad is smart too," Merry said. "I like his smile." 

"He's a great dad." 

"I wonder what our real dad was like." 

"John Sheppard is my real dad," Janie said fiercely. 

"Our biological dad," Merry corrected herself. "Rodney McKay is my real dad." 

"Dad never met him. He said our mom didn't say much about him." 

"My Dad said the same thing -- that he thought she was too sad to talk about him. Look," Merry added, pointing to the open Facebook site. "It's a historical group for the Air Force base. There's my dad with the scientists. And your dad with the pilots." 

"They look so young. Is our Mom there?" 

"Here, in the picture of the administrative staff. This must be her. She's got our red hair." 

"So our dads and our mom all worked at the Air Force base at the same time. Do you think they were both there when we were delivered?" 

Merry nodded. "I do. I bet they both found mom and went to the hospital with her. Then they split us up and each took one." 

Janie pushed her laptop forward, pillowing her head on her arms in front of her. "I don't understand how my dad could do that to us. Or why he did it." She gave Merry a determined look. "But I think it's time we found out." 

~~~~

The advantage of owning a private plane that landed at a small airport was being able to walk right up to it, as soon as it had coasted to a stop on the runway. John waited as the door opened and the stairs unfolded, his daughter standing in the doorway. "Janie!"

"Dad?" She came down the stairs hesitantly. He reached out as soon as she was close enough, swinging her off the bottom step and twirling her around. She laughed and held on. 

He gave her another tight squeeze before putting her down. "It's good to have you home." 

"That's not me."

John glanced toward the voice to see… his daughter standing in the doorway of the plane. Janie, now coming down the steps toward him. Then at the girl in front of him, who looked just like his daughter, only without the blue streaks in her hair. She was even wearing Janie's Johnny Cash t-shirt. "Meredith?" he asked. 

"Everyone calls me Merry." 

"Oh… Jesus." Janie's twin, Rodney's daughter. The quieter one, who'd chewed on her own fist whenever Janie wailed. The baby he'd helped raise until she was a year old. He picked her up, hugging her tight, burying his face in her neck, not sure he could breathe. He'd loved her and he'd never thought he would see her again. "Merry." 

"So, Dad, got anything you want to tell me?" Janie asked, standing defiantly, hands on her hips, and legs braced. She was pissed. Not that he could blame her. Why had he never imagined this day would come? 

He wrapped one arm around her, hugging both girls. "Let's talk at home." The flight attendant descended with two suitcases, and Chuck stepped forward to grab them, before all four walked to the limo. John didn't usually have himself driven, but he'd wanted to be able to talk to Janie without having to concentrate on the road. "Take us home," he told Chuck, as the three of them got in the back, him in the seat facing front. For the first time ever, Janie didn't sit next to him, but by Merry in the seat facing him. Chuck was very deliberately not looking at the girls or saying anything, totally focused on his driving, but John hit the button, raising the window that separated the driver from the passengers. The gossip would sweep the estate as soon as they'd parked, but John wanted to limit what everyone learned, at least until he understood how the twins had been reunited. "Does Rodney know you're here?" he asked Merry. 

She shook her head no. "I just went to the plane with Janie when they dropped us off at the airport." 

He'd have to talk to the camp director, as the girls were supposed to be escorted to their flights. 

Janie leaned forward to punch him on the arm before settling back in her seat, still giving him a mutinous glare. "I have a twin and you didn't tell me!" 

John rubbed his arm before pulling out his phone. Softball had been very, very good to her, he thought inconsequentially, because she could throw a solid punch. "What's Rodney's cell phone number?" Merry rattled it off as he hit the keypad, wishing he could avoid this conversation in front of them, but Rodney would panic when Merry didn't walk off the plane, and Rodney in full-fledged panic mode was to be avoided at all costs. He was conscious of Janie fuming as Merry watched him intently. The phone was quickly answered.

"McKay."

"Rodney." He cleared his throat. "It's John Sheppard." 

"John?" There was a pause, and John almost started to wonder if Rodney had forgotten him. "It's been a long time. Look, I'm at the airport, trying to - well, that's not relevant to you. Why did you call?"

"If you're trying to figure out why Merry hasn't gotten off the plane, it's because she never got on it. She hopped on the Sheppard jet with my daughter. She's here in Santa Barbara." 

"She's with you? With Janie?" 

"They met at camp." Merry must have been the prissy East Coast girl Janie had mentioned. Rodney's daughter was likely to appear stuck-up, as Rodney often had to people who didn't understand him. 

There was another pause. "What does she think? Does she hate me? It was for the best. They have to understand that it was for the best." 

"We haven't talked yet. I think they've got lots of questions." 

"Send her home. I want you to put her on the next plane to Boston. I'll talk to her and explain. She's a very intelligent child. She'll understand." 

"Rodney…"

"Send her home, John. Do you understand? I want her on a plane immediately or I'll call the authorities and report her as a kidnapping victim." 

Rodney McKay and his passionate overreactions, which had alternately amused John and driven him crazy. "Rodney, calm down. We're on the way to the estate. I'll talk things over with them and call you back in a couple of hours." 

"I want her back, John!"

"And you'll get her back. I'll call you tonight, okay?" 

The phone disconnected, which was a victory of sorts, John supposed. 

~~~~

The sun was rising when Rodney drove up to the Sheppard estate. It was a beautiful mansion, he supposed, heavily Spanish-influenced in design, but he felt groggy from sleeping fitfully on the redeye, stressed by driving up from LAX, and wired from too much coffee to appreciate nice architecture. He parked the rental on the winding driveway, and walked up to the door, banging on it. "Sheppard! I want my daughter back!" 

The door was opened by a cute young guy who looked like an escapee from a boy band. "Mr. Sheppard isn't currently available. May I take a note, Mr. ?"

"Doctor. Doctor McKay, and Mr. Sheppard is going to be under arrest for kidnapping if he doesn't produce my daughter immediately. I know how to initiate an Amber Alert."

"It's okay, Chuck. I've got this." Chuck stepped aside, and then Rodney saw John for the first time in 11 years. Of course, the man had to be even more attractive; the softness of his twenty-something youth weathered into an adult man. His hair had gotten even wilder, positively begging to be tamed, but he hadn't gained an ounce, making Rodney conscious of his receding hairline and expanding waist. "Rodney, did you take a redeye?"

"Your powers of observation are phenomenal. Where's Merry?" 

John made a face. "The girls aren't talking to me. They had dinner in Janie's room. Come on in." He waved Rodney in, shutting the door behind him. "Chuck, could you get us breakfast? Full today, I think. And lots of coffee." 

"Does he – "

"Everyone who looks at them knows they're twins, Rodney." 

Rodney followed John into a small dining room, the informal one for the family, he guessed. He made good money as a professor, but John's family obviously fell in the 'filthy rich' category. Which definitely had benefits, because he and John had barely settled at the table when Chuck reappeared with a tray containing a pot of coffee and two cups.

"What have you told them?" Rodney asked, liberally doctoring his coffee with cream and sugar. The last Starbuck's stop had been a half hour ago and he was feeling desperate. 

"Nothing. Janie took Merry on a tour of the estate in the afternoon and then they refused to come to dinner." John cradled his cup, sipping his own black coffee. "We need to be careful about what we say." 

"You didn't starve them, did you? Merry's used to eating on a schedule." 

"Chuck took them up trays. They had dinner and even chocolate cake for dessert." 

Rodney felt himself relax, adrenaline and worry suddenly releasing their grip. His daughter was safe, fed and close by. "What can we say? How can we tell them we lied on their birth certificates?" 

"We already figured out that part," Merry said, and Rodney knew it was his daughter speaking, but once he turned, he couldn't tell which twin was which. They really were completely identical, both of them wearing clothes that must be Janie's, because he'd never bought Merry a Queen t-shirt in her life. Like him, Merry appreciated classical music. Their hair was in neat French braids, highlighted by a few streaks of blue, and Merry - whichever one was Merry - wasn't wearing her glasses. 

"Merry?" 

"Dad." One of them came forward and hugged him, and he stood up to squeeze her tightly. 

"Angel." 

"And this is my sister, Janie." 

"Mary Jane," he said, hugging her too. They hadn't been at their most creative, opting for Meredith Anne and Mary Jane as each one filled out a birth certificate. "You look so much like Merry." 

"Identical twins will do that," she said, and of course, it stood to reason that John's daughter would have John's ability to zing at him. 

Chuck came in with another tray loaded with toast, butter and jam. "Miss Janie, Miss Merry. What would you like for breakfast?" 

"Toast and egg and bacon, please Chuck," Janie said, taking a seat next to her father. "Scrambled." 

Merry sat down next to Janie. "For me too, please."

Chuck left, and Rodney sat down again. Both girls grabbed a piece of toast, spreading butter and jam on it, so Rodney did too. The pastry from Starbuck's hadn't been filling after a night of traveling, and nervousness usually made him hungry, except when it caused nausea. 

"So Dad, what's the story?" Janie asked. 

"You know the basics. Rodney and I worked at the Air Force base. We were leaving late one night and talking to your mom when she went into labor. We went with her to the hospital. She made us promise to take care of you before she died. We each put our name on one of the birth certificates, and found a sympathetic nurse who promised to turn them into the county clerk on different days." 

"I always wanted to tell you," Rodney said to Merry, his heart clenching at the anger and confusion on their faces. "But you were so young and it was so difficult to explain to you that your mom was already gone. I didn't know how to tell you that you had a sister. And then you got older and it never seemed like a good time to bring it up."

"Yeah." John squeezed his daughter's hand. "Me too." 

Merry looked at Rodney, her expression still deeply upset as she said, "But you split us up. We were twins and you split us up." 

"We didn't want to," Rodney replied. "We didn't at first. We got an apartment together, but – " 

"Wait, you two were like, together together?" Janie asked, as Chuck walked into the room, with a platter of scrambled eggs and bacon. "You guys lived together?" 

Rodney opened his mouth to respond, but his words turned into a yelp when John kicked him under the table. 

"We tried to live together but it didn't work out. We decided to split up but we both loved you so we each took one of you," John explained. 

Janie stared at her dad suspiciously. "Why didn't you put our biological dad on the birth certificates and adopt us?" 

"We were afraid to risk it. The adoption system prefers that children to go married couples, not single men. You two – " 

"We would have had to fight a dozen couples to keep you," Rodney blurted out. "You were so cute. Well, once you'd fleshed out a bit." 

"Fleshed out?" Janie shrieked. 

"That's just dad," Merry reassured her. "He says babies look a little smushed when they come out of the womb. And he's right. They really do."

Madison had been a week old when Rodney and Merry had flown to Canada to visit the Millers, but she still had that smushed look, and Rodney had been extremely disconcerted by Jeannie's tendency to breastfeed whenever necessary, regardless of whoever was around. Yes, it was a natural process of life, but he didn't need to see his sister's breast, thank you very much. The visit hadn't been their best, but at least Merry had agreed with him about babies afterwards. Not that Rodney didn't desire to be a grandfather, but he hoped Merry would get her first PhD. before starting a family. 

"John, Janie, hello!" A dark-haired woman dressed in an elegant black and maroon pantsuit walked into the small dining room, stopping abruptly at the sight of all four of them. "I'm sorry. I've interrupted something." 

"Elizabeth." John stood. "I'm sorry; I forgot you were coming this morning." 

She was beautiful, tall and slim and about John's age, and of course he was dating someone, Rodney thought with both regret and irritation. Not that he'd ever expected to walk back into John's life and pick up where they'd left off. The only wonder was that John hadn't married a woman and given Janie several younger siblings. Or even married a man while it had been legal. John would never have any trouble finding a romantic partner. 

"I can go if this is a bad time." 

"It might be best – " John started, but Janie stood, loading both her and Merry's plates with eggs and bacon. "Actually, we've got enough to think about for a while, Dad. Merry and I will have breakfast on the patio and let you and Elizabeth talk." 

Rodney had never seen his daughter flounce, but as he watched Janie walk out, clutching her plate and silverware, he knew that's exactly what Merry would look like if she chose to be huffy. Instead, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and followed her sister less dramatically. 

Elizabeth sat at the table, smiling ruefully. "I seem to have walked into an interesting situation." 

"Elizabeth, this is Doctor Rodney McKay. Rodney, this is Doctor Elizabeth Weir." 

"A medical doctor?" Rodney asked suspiciously, wondering if John had a health problem. 

"My doctorate is in International Relations. John is kindly loaning the government the use of the estate for a diplomatic party tomorrow night. I came to go over the final arrangements." 

"Oh, one of those degrees." Rodney copied Janie's actions, scooping up a generous serving of bacon and eggs, because the thought of listening to John and Elizabeth talk about appetizers and music for a bunch of self-important diplomats was horrifying. When had the man most comfortable with knocking back a beer in a noisy bar become someone who organized soirees for the rich and useless? "I'll leave you to it." 

"Just a moment, Elizabeth." John followed Rodney out of the room, grabbing his arm to stop him from walking away with his coffee cup and plate. "Look, don't tell them about our fights. Or Kolya." 

Rodney frowned. "Why not?" 

He threw a quick glance at Elizabeth, who was getting an extra cup from the sideboard and pouring herself some coffee. "They'll feel guilty," he said softly. 

"It was hardly their fault. They were babies." 

"Of course not. But they might think we would have stayed together if it hadn't been for them." 

Which would have been a foolish notion, of course. He would never have kept John Sheppard. They'd sniped at each other as often as they'd had sex. Possibly more. Rodney nodded wearily. "Yes, fine, mum's the word. I'm going to eat breakfast now." He headed off to see if he could find the twins. 

~~~

Janie led Merry to the patio, where they settled at a table to eat. Chuck found them almost immediately, bringing orange juice. Merry shook her head no. "My dad's deathly allergic. I don't eat or drink citrus." 

"Would you prefer apple or grape juice, Miss Merry?" 

"Grape, please." 

"We have a housekeeper, but she cleans the house and leaves food for us to warm up," Merry said, watching Chuck walk away. "She's not with us all the time." 

"Chuck's been with us a couple of years. Most of the staff has." Janie crunched her bacon. "Does your dad like guys?" 

"My dad doesn't like a lot of people. He's really smart, so he thinks other people are morons." 

"Yes, but – you know, like like. Like dating. Does he like guys?" 

"I don't know. My dad's never dated. It's only ever been the two of us." Merry had always been grateful for not having to share her dad. It was still overwhelming to think that her family had expanded to four, now that she had a sister and her sister's dad. 

"My dad has to go to a lot of parties for business, and usually he takes women, but every once in a while, he'll go out with a guy. I think he likes both." 

"You think that it matters, if our dads both like guys?" 

Janie nodded vigorously. "Your dad said they lived together, but then my dad took over. He does that a lot with Grandpa, when he thinks he's going to tell me something that he shouldn't."

"Oh, there you two are." Rodney wandered onto the patio, sitting down at the table with them. "I can't believe John is hosting diplomatic parties. I never met a less political person in my life. Um, you don't mind if I join you, do you?" he asked, suddenly uncertain of his welcome as he was met by two identical stares. 

"Dad does that for the business. And because he likes Elizabeth. She likes him a lot too." 

"What's not to like about John? He's tall, attractive, intelligent, and rich," Rodney said, feeling a certain weird bitterness. 

"You're all those things too, Dad," Merry responded with loyalty. Her dad looked tired, like when he pulled an all-nighter, working on his research or writing one of his papers. 

Rodney smiled softly. "Thank you, Merry." 

"So how long did you and my dad date? And how long did you stay together after you started taking care of us?" 

"Date? Who said we dated?" Rodney blustered, because they hadn't actually dated. Had lots of fast, explosive sex in closets and deserted offices, then in the bedroom in their apartment, and the living room and the kitchen a few times, but they'd never dated. Going out to a nice dinner at an elegant restaurant or necking in the darkness of a movie theater were not experiences he'd ever shared with John. 

"You said you lived together." 

"Lived together doesn't mean dating. It means cohabitation." 

"So you two didn't date?" Janie persisted, but to Rodney's relief, a snippet of a rock tune began playing out of her pocket, and she pulled out her phone. Rodney began devouring his breakfast, hoping more food would settle his stomach and nerves. Janie answered the call, the happiness of her "Grandpa!" downright odd, because from the little John had ever said about his family, his father was an uptight conservative jerk. "Hang on, Grandpa, you have to see this." Rodney half-rose, flailed his hands, tried to make his mouth work, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop her looping one arm around Merry's neck, stretching the other arm out so she could snap a picture of the two of them together, and emailing it to her grandpa. "Can you believe it? I'm a twin! Her name's Meredith Anne McKay. We met at camp. She and her father are here now. His name is Doctor Rodney McKay. He used to work with Dad and they were both there when Mom died." 

Rodney watched in horror as Merry pulled out her phone. "Who are you calling?"

"I should call Aunt Jeannie. She'll want to know too." 

"No, no, no, you should not call Aunt Jeannie. Jeannie doesn't need to know." 

"Of course she does. She's my aunt. She'll want to know she's got another niece and that Madison has another cousin."

"No, no, no, she won't," Rodney insisted, because Jeannie was going to rake him over the coals and stomp on his ashes for a decision made 11 years ago, but it was already too late, Merry leaning against Janie, Janie still talking to her grandfather as she leaned toward Merry, yet another picture of the two of them taken, and Merry dialing Jeannie. 

Chuck appeared suddenly, asking, "More coffee, Doctor McKay?" 

"Yes," Rodney answered fervently. "Please." 

~~~~

After Elizabeth's exhausting visit, John found Rodney asleep on the couch in his office. His head was lolling back over one end, mouth open as he snored gently, hands resting on his belly, feet propped on the other end. He'd kicked off his shoes, but was otherwise fully dressed in a blue shirt and brown trousers. He'd changed greatly in the last 11 years, the rest of his body growing into those broad shoulders, blondish hair turning brown as his hairline receded, making him appear less of a cocky kid and more of a distinguished professor.

He was still hot, John ruefully conceded, with eyes so blue and expressive, mouth that begged to be kissed into happiness, and an ass made for squeezing. Maybe no one ever got over his first real love. 

John dropped one hand on his shoulder. "Hey."

Rodney startled awake, eyes blinking, looking wildly around, and for a moment John pictured him during the year they'd lived together, coming out of a dead sleep and saying, "The babies?" They'd been his first thought, and he'd clearly been a great dad to Merry. 

"Oh, John." Rodney swung his feet off the couch arm, sitting up. "I fell asleep." 

"It sucks to sleep on redeyes."

Rodney rubbed his face, yawning in agreement, before flopping back against the couch, putting his feet on the coffee table. "Jeannie called and yelled at me." 

"Yeah. My dad too." 

"I thought you hated him." 

John grimaced, dropping down into the armchair, propping his feet on the coffee table, trying not to wonder what Rodney thought about how he'd changed. Had he noticed the wrinkles around John's eyes, the touches of silver at his temples? "He likes being a grandfather. We kinda made up. He even mostly leaves me alone to run the western subsidiary of Sheppard Industries." 

"Really?" Rodney waved one hand. "I would have thought that he would have been upset you didn't have a wife or that she wasn't blood or – he does know, doesn't he?" 

"Yeah, I told him. She was so cute." John smiled and shrugged, knowing Rodney would understand. No one had been able to resist the twins when they took them out for walks in their stroller. Total strangers would gush and admire and compliment them. His father had folded as soon as he'd seen Janie, and doted on her as much as he did on his biological grandchildren from Dave. 

Janie barged into the room, followed by Merry. "Dad, we need new dresses for the party tomorrow."

The unusual demand startled John. Janie had always been willing to dress up for social events, but she'd never been the type to insist on a new dress. John's sister-in-law came out every year to go through Janie's wardrobe, and make sure she had the outfits necessary for appearances that required 'A Sheppard.' The rest of the time she ran around in t-shirts and shorts or jeans. "Didn't Aunt Helen buy you some new dresses?" 

"We want matching dresses. We want to go to that boutique that Aunt Helen likes." 

John wasn't entirely sure that it was wise for them to dress the same, but he figured it was inevitable that they experiment with their identical looks. "Yeah, okay. Let's go see what we can find."

Rodney came to his feet quickly. "Merry doesn't need a new dress for the party tomorrow, because we're going home."

"I don’t want to go home tomorrow. I want to stay and get to know Janie and Janie's dad," Merry said stubbornly. "You stole me away from my sister for 11 years. I want to stay more than a day." 

Rodney flinched, looking like he'd been struck. "We had to do what we did. There - "

"Rodney." John curled his fingers around Rodney's wrist. "Why don't you guys plan on staying for a few days? Let's get past the party and then we can talk." 

"Yes, good suggestion." Rodney nodded, feeling grateful that John had stopped him. He'd been about to reveal everything. 

~~~~

Merry stood of the mirror, admiring herself and her sister in matching blue dresses. It was both disconcerting but somehow so right to see her own face beside her. She believed in science, not fate, but for the first time in her life, she felt whole, knowing she had a twin. In the background, she could see their dads hovering, Janie's dad appearing relaxed, hers nervous. "We look cute."

"You look adorable," the salesclerk said, "but I also have a green dress that would look great with your eyes. Let me get two." She drifted off.

"We need to make them talk about what happened," Janie whispered, frustrated by their evasions. 

"We need to get them apart. Your dad's good at shutting my dad down."

"Or get them more together, so they realize they shouldn't have split up."

"Do you think we can get them back together?"

"We have to," Janie insisted. 

Watching the twins pose in front of the mirror, John felt so proud of his daughters. The blue dresses were exquisite, elegant but demure, making them look like young girls on the verge of womanhood. They had shown such determination and resolve to be together and correct the mistake he and Rodney had made. Splitting them up again was going to be hellacious. Maybe he could transfer to Boston? He loved Santa Barbara and the ranch, but Sheppard Industries did have branches all over the east coast...

Not that Rodney would necessarily welcome John back in his life. He couldn't assume they'd suddenly be boyfriends again. Even when they were dating, Rodney's ambitions had always been crystal clear - cutting edge research, a family, children to inherit his genius, and a Nobel Prize. Though Rodney's love for Merry was undeniable, John had to assume that he still desired to father some baby geniuses and by now had a potential wife in the wings. 

"Do you remember those first little outfits?" Rodney asked softly.

John smiled fondly. "You were a pain," he said.

Rodney bristled, but took the comment in the manner John intended. "You weren't exactly a paragon of rationality." 

John's smile grew even wider, his eyes alight with nostalgia. Two grown men, who'd never had any experience with kids, suddenly in charge of two small babies, with all the accompanying chores of feeding, burping, washing, and dressing them in tiny outfits, coaxing their arms and legs into onesies. At first they'd tried to put them in matching attire, finally accepting that with the twins on variable schedules, each one hungry or fussy or sleepy at any hour of the day, they were lucky to keep them clean and fed. Coordinating their clothes dropped to the bottom of their concerns. 

"We like this one, Dad. Can you get it for us?" 

They'd changed again while he and Rodney reminisced. The salesclerk had been right; the green was perfect on them, modest, but with the right note of sophistication for the party. John pulled out his credit card. "Of course, honey. You're both beautiful." 

"I can get them," Rodney said, fumbling for his wallet. 

"That's not necessary." 

"I can buy my daughter her clothes. I'm a full professor at MIT." 

"You always paid more than half," John said quietly, because it had been a weirdly sore point, that Air Force pay was squat next to the salary earned by scientific contractors. And then his term had ended, and he hadn't renewed, because day care was absurdly expensive, leaving him completely dependent on Rodney's income. Rodney had never made him feel beholden like his dad occasionally had, but the financial dependence still made him uncomfortable. 

"I had the money. I could afford to."

"Yeah. And now I can." Admittedly, his current economic security was the result of taking the job his dad offered, but John had worked hard to exceed his dad's expectations, not just idle his time away on the family fortune. 

Rodney glared at John's stubbornness. "Yes, but you don't need to." 

John returned the glare with equal measure. "Neither do you." 

In unison, Janie and Merry grabbed their credit cards, handing them over to the salesclerk. "You can buy mine, Uncle Rodney," Janie said, and Merry added, "And you can buy mine, Uncle John." 

John and Rodney exchanged disconcerted looks, both absorbing their new status as honorary uncles. 

~~~~

They ended up at a café on Santa Barbara's main street for lunch, sitting at an outside table so they could watch the tourists strolling by. The staff obviously recognized and deferred to the Sheppards. John introduced the waitress to "my daughter's twin Merry and her father Rodney McKay." The waitress gushed over the twins' similarity but didn't comment on Merry's sudden appearance. John's expectation that she would tactfully defer to him and not ask awkward questions made Rodney even more aware of how time had changed his former lover. The daredevil pilot who munched on spaghetti and cheap pizza to stretch his low wages was a respected and important businessman, a pillar of the community. 

Not that Rodney was unimportant. He was a full professor at MIT, doing cutting edge research, likely to win a Nobel Prize, but diplomats would never borrow his house for political parties. Which was all for the good, Rodney told himself. A political soiree sounded more hellish than a dean's mandatory staff meeting. Hopefully the food would be good. As they settled down, Rodney made sure that he and Merry were in the shade of the big umbrella. "You should put on some sunscreen," he fussed at Janie. "Your skin is as fair as Merry's. I should have brought some of my homemade variety." 

"I like the sun." Janie tilted her head back, letting the warm afternoon sun cover her face. "It feels good." 

"Melanoma is incredibly dangerous – " 

"Rodney, let it go. Janie likes the sun." 

Merry fiddled with her phone. "She got really badly burned at camp one day, she stayed out in the sun so long. I've never been burned that badly."

Rodney's triumph was palpable. "Yes, because some of us are diligent parents." 

John gave Rodney an obvious eye roll, but Janie derailed the subject by saying, "Merry doesn't know how to ride. Can we teach her after lunch?" 

"Ride?" Rodney asked in horror. "On a horse?" He preferred his transportation with wheels, not hooves. 

"On a very gentle pony," John inserted before Janie could respond. "And no, not today, but we can start her tomorrow, if she wants to learn. Rodney needs a tux for the party. I'll take him over to Woolsey's." 

"Then I – "

"You can show Merry how to take care of a horse and explain the tackle if you wish," John said with parental firmness. He knew his daughter's love of horses, and he also knew she would assume that others would share both that love and her level of comfort with very large animals. He didn't want Merry to be pressured by her sister's expectations. "No riding." 

Janie glared at her dad, but gave a muttered, "Yes, Dad." 

"A tux?" Rodney asked, grateful for John's intervention. "I have to wear a tux?" 

"I bet you look good in a tux." John couldn't stop himself from admiring Rodney's broad shoulders. Janie nudged Merry's foot with her own under the table and they shared a significant glance. 

"Did Mom talk to you about kind of parents you were going to be? What our bedtimes should be and what kind of schools we should go to?" 

John wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders, giving her a sideways hug and kissing the top of her head. "There wasn't a lot of time, honey." 

"But you guys spent time together before we were born, right? You were friends with Mom?" 

"Really good friends. She was a wonderful person." 

"She liked to talk about you," Rodney said. "Well, she thought there was only going to be one of you, but she was very excited to be pregnant." 

The rest of the lunch was spent with Rodney and John dredging up all the stories they could remember about MJ, the little she'd told them about her late husband, and the first crazy year of the twins' life. The twins listened with rapt attention, eager for any information on the woman who'd given birth to them, the man who had fathered them, and their early childhood. Rodney and John found themselves smiling frequently, finishing each other's stories and trying to top each other with amusing remembrances. 

~~~

Spending money on Rodney hadn't been much of an option when they were together. John had rejected his father's money, living only on his Air Force salary, which was bearable for a single man who lived frugally. And since they couldn't draw attention to their relationship, not in a small town heavily dependent on the military presence, visible tokens of affection were strictly forbidden.

Everything was different now and if John wanted to buy Rodney an expensive tux, then he damn well would. Rodney was built to wear a tux. In their younger days, he would have looked gangly, but now the black material draped perfectly from his broad shoulders. 

Rodney turned slowly in front of the mirror in the deluxe men's shop, flipping up the back of his jacket to see how the pants hugged his exquisite ass. The look on his face was grudgingly pleased, like he accepted that the tux was tailored to match his body perfectly. 

Trying to not stare at Rodney's ass and shoulders, John shifted, adjusting himself, grateful that his jeans were new, the stiff denim restraining the evidence of his prurient interest. 

Fortunately, Rodney let the jacket drop and stood squarely facing the mirror. "I'll take it," he said decisively. "You take Visa?" 

"I can pay for it," John inserted quickly. "Since you need it for my party." 

"I'm a full professor at MIT, John. I can buy my own clothes." 

Fuck money. Finances had been a significant element in their fights, the unexpected expenses of two babies and John's sudden lack of an income after he'd left the Air Force to care for the girls full-time. They'd been stupid fights, fueled by the insecurity of their relationship. John refused to revisit that issue. "Sure, whatever," he said, shrugging, but giving Woolsey a hard look, the kind of look Rodney said he got when the brass were too reckless with the testing schedule. "What, it's about - " he quoted a figure that might buy a nice suit in a high-end department store, probably a third of the actual cost. 

Woolsey nodded politely, upping John's price by a few bucks, and giving back a significant look that promised an invoice for the rest would be promptly emailed to his personal address. Probably right after the email from the women's boutique arrived for half of the cost of Merry's dress. Shop owners in Santa Barbara were very adept at interpreting his expressions. "If you'd like to leave it here, we'll make the adjustments to the legs and sleeves this afternoon and have it delivered to the ranch first thing in the morning." 

"Thank you, Richard," John said, as Rodney trotted back to the fitting room. "I owe you one," he added quietly, when he was sure Rodney was out of hearing. 

"Prompt payment of the bill is all I request," Woolsey said, though his mouth twitched in amused self-deprecation. "Well, and if either or you happened to be photographed for the society pages, a little extra publicity never goes amiss in these troubled times, even for a shop as exclusive as Woolsey's." 

John winced. He hated the society nonsense associated with being a Sheppard. "I promise to not hide from the photographer." Posing for a picture seemed a small price to pay for having Rodney look so hot in clothes that John had mostly purchased. 

~~~

The entire estate was busy with activity the next day. Elizabeth appeared early in the morning, carrying her dress in a bag, hanging it in the guest room she would use, and promptly started directing the rearranging of furniture and the florist's deliveries. Hired cleaners gave the downstairs rooms a final polish, as catering staff joined the regular cook to prepare an elaborate meal. In the afternoon, a small band appeared to set up and practice in the ballroom. 

Rodney was relieved that John encouraged them out of the mad house and to the stables, though the idea of Merry riding made him nervous. John proved to be thorough and patient with Merry, which, on reflection, wasn't surprising. He'd been diligent in his responsibilities as a test pilot, and encouraging to the newbies. He even calmly restrained Janie's efforts to push her sister to be more daring, giving her a firm look that made Janie subside into silence. 

John wished that Rodney wasn't so obviously hanging back, staying on the periphery as if afraid of the horses. He was grateful that Merry was trying her best, but he'd also like to share this joy with the other man. Still, beyond cats, Rodney had never shown much interest in animals. 

"We need to get another pet," he suggested to Janie. "Maybe we should get a cat." 

"Cats are the best," Rodney agreed. "You don't have any pets?" 

"We had a dog, Knievel. He died before I went to camp." Janie looked upset at the memory, and John reached out to fold her into a hug. 

"We don't have to if you're not ready." 

"No, I'd like to. I miss him, but a cat would be cool." Janie hugged him back, then stepped away, smiling bravely. "And Merry can help us choose, can't she?" 

"Sure." Merry helping to choose a cat would be ideal. Not that John figured she needed an animal to make her feel invested in being with her sister, but he'd take any excuse to keep Merry and Rodney in Santa Barbara. "We should get a kitten for each one of you. We can talk to breeders tomorrow." 

"We have a cat," Merry said, gently patting the horse, the reins clenched in her other hand. She was beginning to look more relaxed on the horse, and not so fearful. "Her name is Mrs. Whatsit. She loves to sleep with me. She's okay, isn't she, Dad?" 

"Yes, honey. Aunt Jennifer's checking on her. Merry doesn't need a cat," he added to John. "We have one at home." He wondered why John was determined to get a kitten for Merry. It was almost like John wanted both of them to stay longer, but Rodney didn't dare hope that John was interested in resuming their relationship. He must be thinking only of Merry and Janie. 

"Aunt Jennifer?" John answered, ignoring Rodney's assertion, trying to sound casual. "That's your sister? I thought her name was Jeannie." 

"Jeannie is my sister. Jennifer Keller is one of the biology professors at MIT. Merry considers her an honorary aunt." 

John wondered if she was the woman Rodney had picked to bear his genius progeny, but he couldn't think of any way to ask. Helping Merry mount, he promised he'd find some way to ask her more about 'Aunt Jennifer' later on. 

~~~

Merry and Janie sat side by side on the stool in front of Janie's vanity, staring in the mirror. With their red hair braided and wearing the matching blue dresses, they were distinguishable only by their earrings, a small pair of pearls in Merry's ears, delicate sapphires in Janie's. 

"We look gorgeous," Janie announced, beaming at their reflection. 

Merry smiled shyly, feeling a little overwhelmed at having a sister and being about to attend a party with diplomats. Her dad often attended fundraisers for the university, and always complained afterwards about self-important braggadocios, but she'd only attended a few of the smaller events, those for the Physics department professors and their families. 

There was a light rapping on the door before Elizabeth opened it, peering inside. "I came to see how you girls were doing." She stepped all the way inside, shutting the door behind her. "You look lovely. And let me guess - " she came to stand behind them, also reflected in the mirror, looking elegant in a maroon gown. "Janie and Merry," she guessed, correctly putting a hand on each girl's shoulder as she spoke her name. 

Janie frowned unhappily. Elizabeth was always nice, but she made her uncomfortable, wondering if she and her dad would begin dating. She wasn't pleased that Elizabeth could tell her and her twin apart. "How can you tell?" 

"Your tan is a shade darker." Elizabeth smiled reassuringly, sensing the cause of Janie's displeasure. "Very few people would notice it, but I've been trained to pay attention to details."

"Even our tans?" Merry asked skeptically.

"Real tans versus fake tans, gems or good costume jewelry, the price of people's clothes - most of diplomacy is understanding the people making the decisions and what motivates them, and a large part of that is knowing what their personal life is like."

Merry was fascinated by Elizabeth's perspective. "You're like a real life Sherlock Holmes." 

Elizabeth gave a polite laugh. "I don't think I'm quite that perceptive, but I do my best to observe people." 

Thinking of Elizabeth as a mini-Holmes made her seem cool, and Janie twisted to look up at her. She didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of Elizabeth, but she seemed like someone who might be able to explain the decision her father and Uncle Rodney had made. "Do you understand why our dads separated us?" 

"Oh, honey." Elizabeth squeezed her shoulder. "You should talk to them." 

"We tried," Merry said, feeling bitter at her dad's lack of information, so contrary to his normal behavior with her. "They just said they tried to stay together but it didn't work out." 

Elizabeth perched on the edge of the vanity stool, the girls scooting to give her some space. "I think your fathers loved each other very much, so much that they weren't really rational and that neither of them could bear to lose the other and both of you." 

Janie and Merry exchanged a significant glance. "You think they really loved each other?" Janie asked. 

"I think they still do," Elizabeth admitted honestly. 

"What do you think we should do?" Merry asked. She liked Elizabeth and her calm understanding. Aunt Jeannie usually combined giving Merry advice with harassing her brother, and Aunt Jennifer often did the same thing, except usually being polite enough to wait on lecturing her dad until she thought Merry was out of the room. "We want to stay with our dads but we don't want to be separated again." 

"I don't think you should do anything. I think you need to trust your dads to handle this." She hugged them, an arm around each one. "The party's starting in a few minutes. Come down soon." With that instruction, she drifted out of the room, her maroon skirt swirling around her gold heels. 

"She was doing well until the end," Merry commented. 

"There's no way we're letting Dad and Uncle Rodney work things out by themselves." 

"No," Merry agreed. "It's time for Plan A." 

~~~

Rodney studied his reflection in the mirror as he tried to tie his bowtie, exasperated when the length of fabric failed to cooperate with his fingers. He was a genius; he should be able to dress himself. 

There was a knock on the door before it opened, and John strolled in, looking ridiculously debonair in his tuxedo, his bowtie flawless. Everything about him was flawless. His relaxed but masculine air reminded Rodney of James Bond. Hollywood had lost a potentially great movie star when John had joined the Air Force, and they'd never even known it. 

"Hey." John stepped up behind him, his arms curling around Rodney's shoulders. "Let me." 

"I am one of the foremost astrophysicists in the world, one of the most brilliant minds who has ever lived on this planet," Rodney protested. "I can tie a bowtie." He let his arms hang at his sides as he spoke, not trying to bat John's hands away.

"But it's good to let the grunts handle the chores that require manual dexterity," John drawled, grinning, making Rodney remember a similar exchange the first time the plumbing had backed up. 

"Yes, yes, you were always good with your hands," he snapped, and then blushed, because John had indeed been very good with his hands. A comment Rodney had made on numerous occasions, usually when he was covered with sweat and half-insane with pleasure. 

John smoothed the bowtie in place, still smiling. "You weren't so bad yourself," he replied throatily, and time seemed to freeze as they stared at their reflections. 

Rodney's heart started to beat faster, wondering if John had buried those days as deep as Rodney had, because it was the only way he could cope with the loss and regret. Then another knock on the door interrupted their stillness, Elizabeth's head poking in. 

"Oh good. Are you ready to go down?" 

"Yeah." John stepped away from Rodney. "Let's party." 

~~~~

Rodney found himself enjoying the party more than he expected. The people were mostly tedious, politicians from foreign countries who were either pompous jackasses who pontificated at great length, or cagey, as if fearing to be quoted. A few Air Force officers wearing dress uniforms mixed in with the crowd. The most unusual person was a solidly built black man, who gave his name only as Murray, and wore a tuxedo and a black silk cap covering all of his apparently bald head, which he explained was to protect his skin, healing from a rash. Rodney promptly stayed on the other side of the room from him, wishing to avoid any accidental exposure. 

The food was excellent though, and the circulating waiters seemed to have been given instructions to seek Rodney out, rather than making him chase them, as so often happened at university parties. The only deviation was when they brought out food made with citrus. Then they gave him a rueful smile and headed the other direction.

Best of all was John and the girls. John was undeniably the most attractive man in the mansion, wearing his tuxedo with casual elegance. The girls were gorgeous, flitting about the rooms with delight, Janie introducing her twin with excited pleasure. 

Even the musical trio was pleasing, playing songs that were charming but not obtrusive. 

"Come dance with me, Uncle Rodney," Janie said, grabbing his hand. Rodney quickly popped the rest of the canapé he'd been nibbling into his mouth, following her onto the dance floor as one song ended, and another began. 

Turning to face him, Janie held her hands in waltz position. 

“I used to dance with you, when you were little.” 

Janie’s expression was confused. “Before I could walk?” 

The twins would be officially teens soon and he’d see that bemusement more and more often, though hopefully never the disdain he’d shown his own parents. “It would help you sleep, holding you in my arms and humming to you. Babies are used to noise from the womb. The noise that the inside of the human body makes is the equivalent of a vacuum cleaner to a fetus.” 

“Ew.” Janie wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound like a great way to develop. I thought babies liked quiet.” 

“Yes, it’s a classic mistake that parents make, to insist on quiet for a baby and to leave her unrestrained. John and I read a lot of books and took some classes,” Rodney admitted, as he guided her around the small dance floor. She'd either had lessons or was a natural dancer, as she followed his lead perfectly. “We wanted to do our best for you.” 

“I remember Dad when I was younger, he used to hold me and waltz me around when I was sick.” 

They danced past John and Merry, also engaged in conversation. 

“Yes, out of tune probably,” Rodney said, his head turning to admire the other two. “John’s humming was always more enthusiastic than in key.” 

“You can dance with me when Dad marries Aunt Elizabeth.” 

For a second, Rodney lost his perfect sense of rhythm, stumbling over his own feet. “I didn’t realize John was engaged. He didn’t mention it.” 

“Not engaged-engaged. It’s not official. But they see each other a lot.” 

“I never expected John to marry a woman. He – that is – “ was even more gay than Rodney. The few times they’d talked of other lovers, John’s interest in women had only been faked to appease his father. 

“Granddad talks to him about it sometimes, that I should have a mom to take care of me.” 

It didn't make sense, that John would marry Elizabeth to appease his father. John would never have joined the Air Force if he cared about appeasing his father, and he’d been back in his father’s life for eleven years, and was still single. Rodney frowned at Janie. Understanding people had never been his strength, and John had been especially difficult, but he thought time had given him some perspective on his former lover. Janie’s careless suggestion that John would marry out of duty didn’t fit with his actions. "John never bowed to his father's wishes." 

"Dad and Granddad get along much better now. At least, he says they used to not get along but now they do." 

If Rodney believed Janie, John had been omitting to tell him a very important fact about his life. Certainly John had been the one pushing to not tell the girls about the whole Kolya fiasco, which meant he still had problems with communication and full disclosure, even if well-intentioned. But Rodney was a scientist, and he believed in gathering information from the best source available, especially when the data seemed contradictory. "I have to talk to John," he said abruptly, leaving Janie on the dance floor and heading toward John and Merry. Without missing a beat, he snagged John's arm, pulling him away from his daughter, though to his surprise, John didn't resist. They stopped outside on the patio, staring at each other by the light from the windows. "Are you going to marry Elizabeth?"

"What? Who told you that?" 

"Are you?"

"Are you going to marry Jennifer Keller?" John returned. 

"What? No, of course not. Who told you - " Rodney turned, frowning at Merry and Janie, who stood in the open patio doors. They quickly turned, starting to head back in, but stopped at Rodney's, "Meredith Anne McKay!" and John's, "Mary Jane Sheppard!" 

"Dad?" they both asked. 

"Have you been telling John that I'm going to marry Jennifer?" 

"You might," Merry said. 

"No, I might not, as you know very well." Jennifer was gorgeous and intelligent, and Rodney might have considered marriage if he hadn't had Merry, but he'd never disturb their family of two. Particularly since Jennifer was inclined to lecture Rodney on his flaws in an extremely annoying fashion. 

Merry gave a little shrug. "She'd like you to ask her." 

"Why were you girls both talking about who we might marry?" John asked slowly. "Were you trying to make us jealous?"

"You two were together," Janie defended them. "Jealous people get back together. You should get back together and be both our dads again." 

The notion struck Rodney as ideal, but he was also horrified that his daughter and his twin would try to manipulate him in such an obvious fashion. This must have been Janie's idea, because where would Merry have gotten such a notion? "Have you been reading romance novels? Because, in his opinion, jealous people did not get back together. They fight, cause unpleasant scenes and violate restraining orders. 

What?" he snapped at John's raised eyebrow. "I work at a college campus. Do you know how many young people and even professors have disastrous problems with their partners? Jealousy is neither a useful or productive emotion." 

"Human Resources mostly deals with those issues at Sheppard Industries," John said, almost apologetically. "But yeah, I agree. Jealousy is bad. People should be open and honest about their emotions." 

Rodney flushed, angry at the implication in John's words. "What does that mean? Are you implying that I wasn't open and honest?" 

"You are the most open and honest person I've ever met," John said, derailing Rodney's ire. "I'm sorry – " he stopped, swallowed. 

"Sorry? Sorry about what? That you weren't as open and honest as I am?" John's guilty little head bob horrified Rodney. "John, I loved you as you were." 

"I didn't say everything I should have said." 

"And I often say too much, as Jennifer has complained on a number of occasions. But I have to say – " Rodney took a deep breath, steeled his nerve, and plunged on, "John, the worst day in my life has been the day I walked away from you." 

"Yeah." John swallowed. "Me too." 

"I don't want to do that again," Rodney admitted. 

"John?" Elizabeth asked, stepping between Merry and Janie, who had been watching their dads with utter fascination. "Is something going on?" 

"You have the worst timing of anyone in the entire world," Rodney snapped, satisfied when Elizabeth's mouth dropped open in surprise. "In the entire history of the world." 

"No." John squeezed Rodney's arm. "It's fine. We should go back to the party."

Merry and Janie looked equally distressed, as Merry cried, "You can't leave it there!"

"This isn't a conversation for the middle of a party. Go on in." 

With mutinous glances, they obeyed, Janie muttering, "Jealousy was working." Elizabeth gave John and Rodney a searching look before following the girls. 

"Later tonight?" John asked hopefully. "After the party?" 

"Yes," Rodney said, taking the delay as a promise. 

~~~~

When diplomats partied, they did so heartily. John's eyes were too tired to focus properly as he waved the last one out, thinking the sky looked suspiciously close to dawn, and wandered back into the ballroom. Only Rodney remained, sitting on a chair, head against the wall, slightly snoring, bowtie undone. 

John paused, admiring the sight, remembering nights when he'd enter the bedroom to see the girls asleep in their cribs, Rodney dozing in a chair, a kid's book about to slip out of his hands. At the time, John hadn't appreciated the difficulties Rodney must have faced, working an intellectually challenging, high pressure job, and coming home to a restless John and two needy children. 

Guilt hit him, sharp and hard, remembering his impatience, his frustration at having to abandon his own career so they could be together. He wished he'd been more patient, more understanding of Rodney's occasional grouchiness and high-energy moods. 

"Hey." For the second time in two days, he rested a hand on Rodney's shoulder to wake him. "Time for all good scientists to go to bed." 

Rodney jerked awake immediately in response to John's touch, somehow managing to talk and yawn at the same time. "Seriously, you do that regularly? Those people are the most stultifying, boring group of nincompoops I've ever met in my life." 

"You think anyone who can't calculate Pi in his head is boring." He took Rodney's hands, tugging him up. "Besides, you seemed to be having some interesting conversations." Damn Rodney and his fascination for blondes; John had wanted to growl, march across the room, and snatch him away from the perky blonde Air Force Major in the slinky blue dress. Maybe he should have let their conversation on the patio run unchecked, even if it had resulted in their leaving the party early. Elizabeth would have coped admirably as the sole hostess. 

"Yes, that Air Force officer was remarkably intelligent for someone who had such skewed theories about wormhole physics." Rodney let himself be pulled up, but stumbled out of tiredness, his solid body jostling into John's.

John's hands went instinctively to Rodney's waist, bracing him, resting on the fine wool of his tuxedo. Time seemed to stop, nothing existing except him and Rodney, and the reality of Rodney finally back in his arms. Rodney's eyes were startled, vibrantly blue. "Rodney," John said huskily, and with a daughter to raise and a business to run, he had learned to think before acting, he'd had to be mature and responsible, but the cocky, reckless pilot was still under the surface, demanding that he hadn't misunderstood Rodney's confession on the patio and should seize the moment. So he did, pressing his lips against Rodney's, kissing them, softly at first, but quickly hardening the pressure when Rodney didn't resist. 

"John, you still - " Rodney floundered, apparently dumbstruck. 

"Of course I do. The times I've thought of you - " Knowing that words weren't his strength, John claimed Rodney's lips again, feeling a thrill of delight when Rodney returned the kiss, his mouth opening, welcoming John's tongue in. So like all those years ago, and yet so much better. They weren't kids sneaking around, hiding their attraction, but grown men, in John's house, and John wouldn't have cared if his father and all the delegates of the Republican National Convention walked in. "Come to bed with me," he pleaded, when he reluctantly freed Rodney's lips. 

"Of course, John. Of course." 

Hand in hand, they stumbled out of the ballroom and up the stairs to the master bedroom, John shutting the door behind them. He didn't turn on the light, but enough moonlight shone through the open curtains for them to see each other's bodies in the silvery light. Rodney began undoing John's bowtie, and John returned the favor, each of them in a race to undress the other, to slip the buttons out of their holes, unbuckle slim black belts, and unzip their flies. John knew he was grinning like a madman, giddy with freedom and delight, his expression a match to Rodney's.

"Shoes, shoes, John. Socks." 

John laughed gently at Rodney's inability to form complete sentences, but he understood the instruction and they stepped apart, taking the final steps to kick off shoes, toe off socks, and push down their boxers and slacks. Rodney started to remove his shirt, but got caught by the cuff links, his arms flailing. 

"Hang on." John quickly undid them, dropping the diamonds on the dresser. 

Rodney's arms twitched, like a sudden fit of modesty made him want to cover himself. Still with his shirt dangling loose from his shoulders, John spread his palms wide on Rodney's chest, feeling the strength of the muscles, appreciating the softness of his chest hair. "Still so pretty," he murmured, rubbing his thumbs on Rodney's nipples. The instant response as Rodney groaned and his nipples tightened went straight to John's dick. He'd always loved Rodney's sensitive spots and his eager reactions. 

"You too, John. You should be naked." Rodney grabbed at John's wrists, removing the cufflinks so John could fling the shirt off. Then he pushed John toward the bed, giving John barely enough time to shove the covers down before they fell together onto the sheet. Rodney's dominance had always been a turn-on. John sprawled on his back, eagerly spreading his legs, welcoming Rodney into his arms, surrendering control. They couldn't seem to stop touching and kissing each other, as needy and desperate as the first time. The sex felt familiar and comfortable, yet new and exciting, hips thrusting in unison until they were clinging together, gasping our their climaxes.

John shifted Rodney to one side, slipping out of the bed to get a wet hand cloth from the master bathroom. He wiped himself down quickly, and then more lingeringly removed the signs of their passion from Rodney, who smiled sleepily and let John take care of him. 

As they cuddled together and fell asleep, John promised himself that the next time would involve a slow, thorough exploration of every inch of Rodney's delectable body. 

~~~~

Rodney usually woke with a jerk, snapping to awareness immediately, so it took him a while to realize he was conscious and aware, snuggled in John's huge bed, his head on one of John's pillows. John was awake too, his head on the other pillow, facing him. Their arms were overlapping between them, and one of John's calves was between his own. 

He felt relaxed, comfortable, and deliciously satiated. The first time had been rapid, desperate, as frantic as all those quickies in the closets at McGregor. 

The second... Had been perfection, slow and gentle, relearning every inch of each other's bodies, rediscovering hot spots and glorying in becoming one again.

"Good morning," he started to say, but his words came out garbled. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Good morning."

John smiled, sweet and happy. "Good morning."

"We'll move to California," Rodney blurted out before his nerve could fail him. "I'll find a professorship here. Or a research position. The girls should be together. And you want me to, don't you? We could try again?" 

John blinked, looking surprised, and for a second, Rodney's heart sunk. "I thought we'd move to Boston," John said. "Don't you want to stay at MIT?" 

Giddy with relief, Rodney grinned. John wasn't rejecting him and Merry, only considering practicalities. "Please," he scoffed, "I can teach genius-level college students anywhere. I'm sure California has some." 

"Janie does love the ranch and I'm sure Merry will too." 

John heard Janie's voice a second before her knock. "Dad? Aren't you awake yet? Do you know - " She stopped abruptly, standing halfway into the room, her sister Merry bumping into her. It would have been funny except for the whole 'caught naked in bed with another man' aspect. "We couldn't find Uncle Rodney," she added lamely. 

Rodney gave a yelp of embarrassment and instinctively threw the blankets over his face and burrowed down, his face against John's upper arm. 

"Dad?" both Janie and Merry asked, Janie to John, Merry to the lump under the covers. 

As if conceding his inability to disappear, Rodney emerged from hiding, gamely brushing his hair back, trying to tame the bedhead. "Merry, Janie." 

John tried to not worry about how disreputable his own hair looked. With his cowlicks, his bedhead was sure to be a hundred times wilder. "We'll be down soon, girls. Go have breakfast." He was a dad, he ran an entire company. He could be authoritative when caught in flagrante delicto. 

"You guys slept together last night?" Janie squeaked. 

"We'll be down soon," John repeated firmly. "Scat." 

The twins gave them dubious stares, but turned and walked out as commanded, whispering to each other before they reached the door. 

"Oh god," Rodney moaned, throwing the covers back as he got out of bed. "Oh god, this is you. This is all your fault." 

"My fault? Why is it my fault?" 

"It's those lips. That hair. The fact that you're a decade older and your hips are still slinky." 

Rodney's accusations left John torn between embarrassment and pride, and still a little confused about what was his fault. "Hey, you're the one with the beautiful eyes and the great ass. It could be your fault too. Whatever it is." The great ass was on display as Rodney scampered around the room, collecting his clothes, trying to separate the two tuxes. Even though rounder, Rodney's ass was still an exquisite work of curvy perfection.

Pausing in the midst of trying to decide which pair of pants was his, Rodney stared at John. "You like my ass and eyes?" he asked tentatively, but shaking his head immediately in negation. "No, you will not distract me. This is your fault. I look at you and suddenly I'm in a closet, letting you do anything you want to me, and now my daughter knows we've had sex!" he ended on a hiss. 

"They're twelve, Rodney. I think they know guys have sex." His own words made John stop and think. "Hey, can you believe that?" 

His clothes bundled in his arms, Rodney sank to sit on the edge of the bed. "They can know, can't they? Anyone can know. Everyone can know."

John 's breath was shaky. "We don't have to hide. Jesus, Rodney, we can be together and not care about what anyone else thinks. We could even tell someone like Kolya to fuck off." 

Rodney shuddered, remembering their neighbor's prying questions, his dark eyes, which were somehow flat and curious at the same time, his veiled threats to have them investigated by Child Protective Services because why would two single men be cohabitating and raising small girls? "There are still the birth certificates. We'd have to admit we lied." 

"So what? The girls know already and they're the only ones who matter." 

"What about everyone else? They might try to take them away from us. We have no biological or legal claim on them." 

"We have MJ's dying request. Do you know the size of Sheppard Industries' legal staff? No one can take those girls from us. They'll by paperworked into limbo until the girls are adults." 

"You really think - we lost a decade. Can we still - ?" 

"We didn't lose a decade." John tossed the covers away, kneeling on the bed to reach out to Rodney, pulling his clothes out of his arms and dropping them to the floor. "It was taken from us because people were homophobic jerks and we were stupid and panicked. But now we have the rest of our lives," he pleaded. 

Twisting from seating to kneeling, Rodney kept moving, pushing John flat to the bed, covering him with his greater bulk. "The rest of our lives," he promised. 

They weren't going to be down soon, John mentally acknowledged as he buried his hands in Rodney's hair. But that was okay. He figured the girls were smart enough to not bother them again. 

~~~~

Janie and Merry waited impatiently in the living room, Janie sprawled on the living room rug, legs draped over an ottoman, Merry on the couch, cross-legged with her laptop on her knees. 

Rising on her elbows, Janie glared at Merry. "What can they be doing? They've been ages."

"They're having sex," Merry said, matter-of-factly, surprised that she was the one who had to say it. 

"It's the middle of the day," Janie protested, though she knew her sister was right. First she had to adjust to a new sister; now she had to accept their fathers having sex. Life had become incredibly complex since going to Camp Happy Trails. 

"A healthy sex life is a sign of a good relationship and should be both fun and loving." 

"Who told you that?" 

"Aunt Jeannie. Dad had her give me The Talk the last time we visited Canada." 

"My Dad had Aunt Helen give me The Talk. She didn't say anything like that." 

"Your Dad's family are conservative Americans. Aunt Jeannie is a liberal Canadian." 

Janie wiggled her toes in her silver Vans. "I want to meet her. And Uncle Kaleb and Madison. They sound cool." 

"I want to meet your family too. They sound..." 

"They're cooler than they sound," Janie said quickly. "They're really nice. And granddad and Davey and Malcolm are a lot of fun. Aunt Helen and Uncle Dave are just a little uptight." 

Rodney and John wandered in, and Janie and Merry both noticed that they weren't quite holding hands, but that their fingers were lightly touching. The ends of John's cowlicks were still damp, and Rodney was wearing a green t-shirt that was obviously not his, given the sprawling 'Santa Barbara' across the front. 

"Janie, Merry," John said, as Rodney pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead, before dropping onto the couch by her. Janie swung her legs off the ottoman, which John sat on, legs stretched in front of him. He patted her calf awkwardly. "Hi." 

"I see you guys are finally up," she answered, sounding a bit resentful. 

"Yeah." John shot a look at Rodney, willing himself to not blush. "We had a lot of things to talk about. You wanna - ?" 

"Merry," Rodney started, and stopped again. 

Merry looked up from her laptop, tilting her head back. "We're going to stay, aren't we Dad?" 

"If you don't mind moving from Boston, yes, John and I thought we should move in here. There's plenty of space, and I can - " 

"Yes, thank you, we thought you'd never ask!" Janie interrupted Rodney's planned spiel as she scrambled to her feet. Merry shoved her laptop at Rodney, and the twins met in the middle of the living room, hugging and squealing. "It took you guys long enough," Janie said, poking one of John's boots with her foot. 

With a last squeeze, Merry stepped away from her twin, and sat on the couch by Rodney again. "I want this, Dad. I don't want to be separated from Janie. But we want the truth about what happened before. We need to know you guys won't split us up again." 

Rodney shot a look of dismay at John, who gave him a grimace in return, but Merry ignored their exchange and continued talking. 

"Did you guys split us up to protect us?" 

The truth was easy for Merry to read in Rodney's eyes. Her dad had never been good at lying to her. He tried, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for words, his gaze seeking out John's for support. 

Janie stared at her own father, but John was better at a poker face, his expression blank, only the unnatural tenseness in his shoulders revealing the truth. "Dad?" She dropped onto his lap, like she was still a little girl. "Is that why?" 

A faint shudder shaking his frame, John seemed to deflate, hugging her hard. "I don't know if you can understand, honey, but we weren't even supposed to be together. I could have been fired for violating regs. Then MJ died and we - " 

"We loved you both," Rodney picked up. "We didn't want to lose you. But it was different then. Men weren't supposed to love one another or raise children together. They would have taken you away and given you to a good, straight family. And then - "

"We had a neighbor named Kolya, who used to ask questions about what two men were doing with small children. Where your mom was and which one of us was really your father. He threatened to report us to CPS, because you had colic and were crying a lot. We couldn't take the risk of anyone investigating."

"You thought a single man with one child would be less noticeable." 

Resting his forehead against his daughter's, John said, "We panicked, honey. I'm sorry." 

"But it wasn't just you two," Rodney added quickly. "I'm not the easiest person to live with. And John - well, he's not either. You know you're not," he said to John. "You did military corners on their cribs." 

Snuggling into her father's arms, Janie questioned in a small voice, "So why should this time be different? What if you two don't get along? What if Kolya sees our picture in the paper and comes back?" 

"Kolya's dead," Rodney said, surprising everyone, especially John. "I'm sorry, John. I meant to tell you earlier but with everything - " his hands waved through the air, trying not to indicate 'you were naked and distracting when I thought about it.' "I did some consulting work on a search engine years ago and used him as a search object. I coded it to give me updates. He was knifed in a bar fight several years ago."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer fellow," John muttered under his breath. 

"But he wouldn't be the only one. And what if you guys argue?" 

"The laws are different. Our resources are different. We're different. We'll handle it differently." John gave Janie a squeeze, looking at Rodney, who nodded while hugging Merry. 

"We could have argued last night when you tried to make us jealous, but I was open and honest and I listened to John," Rodney said with satisfaction. "And John gave a half-sentence and head bob and I paid attention to those things. We can't promise that we will never fight, but we can promise you that we'll never let it get out of control." 

"We promise," John agreed. "We'll work it out." 

"Yes, well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving." Rodney rose from the couch, giving John a beseeching glance. "I could use breakfast and lunch. And coffee." 

"Sure." John grabbed hold of Janie's waist, lifting her to stand on her feet. "You guys let Chuck know to get some food organized, okay?" 

"Sure, Dad." She took Merry's hand, and the two skipped out of the room. 

"We will still argue," Rodney said, as the door swung shut behind them. 

"Yeah, probably," John conceded, tucking his thumbs into Rodney's waistband, pulling him closer. 

"After they've gone to bed, and then we'll have great make-up sex?" Rodney asked hopefully. 

With a gleeful smile, John promised, "The very best."

Rodney smiled in return, laughing with joy until John's lips covered his and they kissed, committing themselves to each other and their future as a family. 

 

~ the end ~


End file.
